Boot-treeing machine



(No Model.)

J. STEWART. BOOT TREEING MACHINE.

No. 566,241. Patented Aug. 18, 1896.

WITNESSES INVENTOR NrTED STATES I ATENT rrrcn.

JAMES STEWART, OF GRAND RAPIDS, MICHIGAN.

BOOT-TREEING MACHINE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 566,241, dated August 18, 1896. Application filed December 14, 1894. Serial No. 531,838. (No model.)

To all whont it may concern:

Be it known that 1, JAMES STEWART, a citizen of the United States, residing at the city of Grand Rapids, in the county of Kent and State of Michigan, have invented a certain new and useful Boot-Treeing Machine, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to a new and improved apparatus for forming or shaping the blank of a boot made of felt or other similar material into the finished form; also relates to a machine which maybe used for the purpose of converting a blank, as usually constructed, into the form of a boot and the objects of my invention are, first, to facilitate the forming of a blank into a boot; second, to prevent the blank from being torn or injured in the operation of turning up and shaping the foot, and, third, to leave the fin ished boot smooth without Wrinkles or injury caused by bending the blank into the required form. These objects I accomplish by means of the apparatus hereinafter described, and illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure 1 shows a side elevation of a former or last after the same has been bent into position and opened by means of the mechanism hereinafter described. Fig. 2 shows a detail view of the clamping device which is used for the purpose of grasping the felt of the blank at the front part of the boot, and Fig. 3 shows a side elevation of the former or last collapsed ready to receive the felt blank.

Similar letters refer to similar parts throu ghout the several views.

A represents the heel-piece of the former or last.

B represents the sole-piece, which sole-piece is provided with a guide G for receiving the extension of the heel-piece.

0 represents the front foot-piece, which is pivoted at the point H to the sole-piece B and which projects backward, said projection being shown by O, which is pivoted to the rear frame E at the point K.

D represents the front of the former or last, which is pivoted to the front foot-piece C at J. The rear frame E is pivoted to the heel-piece by the pivot F.

L is a pivoted lock, the same being pivoted to the heel-piece at F, and when the footpiece is opened and the last is spread, as shown in Fig. 1, L drops into the position shown and locks the foot open and in posi tion.

M is a rod used merely to raise L from its locking position in order to collapse the last. N is a spreader pivoted at one end to E.

O is a connecting rod connecting the spreader N to a foot-lever P, which foot-lever P is pivoted to a standard T and is provided with a pedal or other suitable means for operating the said lever.

Q is a clamping device pivoted to the lever P and provided with the clamping-jaws V and V. These clamping-jaws are made of any suitable material and are curved so that they will adapt themselves to the shape of the blank upon the last, the general form being shown by Fig. 2. One of these jaws is placed between the felt and the frame and the other one on the outside of the felt, so that when they are compressed by any suitable means they will securely clamp the felt upon the front of the last.

R is a suitable standard which supports the frame or last.

S is a locking-lever adapted to attach the rear part of the last E to the standard R, and S is a pivot attaching S to R. The object of this construction is to enable the operator to remove the last or former from the standard or to attach the same thereto at pleasure.

Y is a compression-spring which operates to lock the lever S in position. I prefer to provide the outer surfaces of the rear and front portions of the last or former near the lower end with corrugations, as shown by W.

I have described my preferred form of last; but it will be understood that the form may be varied without departing from the spirit of my invention.

The operation of my invention is as follows: The felt blank, which is made substantially straight and conical in form, is drawn upon the former or last when collapsed in the shape shown in Fig. 3. The clamp V V is then attached to the felt on the front of the front piece D and secured thereto. By pressing downward now upon the pedal the strain is entirely upon the felt blank from the front side, it being understood that the connectingrod 0 has not yet been applied. This will draw the felt downward and will turn the foot part of the last from the position shown in Fig. 3 to the position shown in Fig. 1, thereby bending the blank and spreading the foot part of the last, while the blank at the rear or back side of the last will not be held, but can be drawn upwardly, thus leaving the blank at the ankle,both rear and front,smooth, the strain upon the front part being such as to take out all the wrinkles, and the strain upon the rear part not being sufficient to tear or injure the blank. The l0cking-latch L drops into the position shown in Fig. 1 and locks the foot-piece in the position Etherein shown. The lever P is now raised, and the connecting-rod O is attached to the spreader N, the same being in the position shown in Fig. 3, and the clamps are released from the felt at the front of the last. The foot-lever P is again depressed until the spreader N assumes the position shown in Fig. 1, when we have the operation complete. The rod 0 is then detached, and the last with the felt thereon is removed from the standard and placed in the drier.

Instead of attaching the clamp V V directly to the felt, it may be attached to the felt and the front part of the last, the operation being to first bend the foot part of the last into position and to spread the same into position before the spreading of the leg part of the last and also at a time when the felt is not attached or held in any way clamped in connection with the rear part of the last.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim to have invented, and desire to se cure by Letters Patent, is

1. The combination of arear and front part of a former or last, a heel and sole part made in two parts, and a front part, a locking-latch for retaining the foot part spread, and suitable mechanism for bending and spreading the foot part independently of the movement or the mechanism which opens and spreads the leg part, substantially as described.

2. The combination of a heel part and front foot part pivoted to the sole part, a lockinglever pivoted to the heel part, the front part pivoted to the rear leg part, and the front leg part pivoted to the front foot part, and a spreader pivoted to the front and rear parts, substantially as described.

3. In combination with aformer orlast having a front and rear leg part and front foot part, a sole part and a heel part, said front leg part being pivoted to the front foot part, the front part linked to the rear part and also pivoted to the sole part, said heel part also pivoted to the rear part, a spreader as N pivoted to the front and rear part, said spreader N adapted to spread the leg parts after the foot part has been bent and spread, a footlever having a connection with the spreader, and a clamp carried by said foot-lever, substantially as described.

4. The combination of a front and rear leg part of a last, the front foot part pivoted at its extreme rear end to the back leg part, and intermediate its ends to the front leg part, a pivoted sole part and heel part, and a locking-latch adapted to lock and retain the foot part in its bent and expanded position independently of the spreading of the leg part at the opposite end, substantially as described.

5. In combination with a front and rear leg part of aformer orlast, a spreader adapted to spread the leg parts after the foot part has been bent and spread, a foot-lever having a connection with the spreader, and a pair of clamping-jaws carried'by said foot-lever, substantially as described.

In witness whereof I have hereunto set my hand and seal in the presence of two witnesses.

JAMES STEWART. [n s.]

Witnesses:

EDWARD TAGGART, CHRISTOPHER HONDELINK. 

